The Crucible - theme of injustice

             Abigail Williams is just one of the characters that Arthur Miller used in his play The Crucible to demonstrate the theme of injustice. By her unjustified work, Abigail Williams left the town of Salem confused and crippled in her wake, with many left dead and few to remember the tale. There are several ways that Abigail displayed injustice towards townspeople, her friends, and her enemies. Abigail had a power; a power that could convince anyone that she was right because she was feared. One obvious injustice is that she used this power to kill innocent townspeople because they had to choose between death and damnation. Another injustice is that she was able to accuse people for doing sinful things, when she herself was far from pure. A third injustice is that she used her powers to kill innocent people that she had grudges against. Abigail was a prime example of how Arthur Miller demonstrated his theme of injustice.
             The killing of so many people of Salem village helped to develop the theme of injustice in Arthur Miller's play. Abigail's accusations were just a game to her, but it forced a decision between damnation and death for all of the accused. While talking to John Procter, Abigail confessed that the sickness that Ruth and Betty had was just from a fright, "Oh posh! We were dancin" in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. [Betty] took a fright, is all (Act one, page 21-22, Elizabeth)." When she admitted to playing this game, she danced on the future graves of the hundreds that would die. Each of the accused faced a difficult decision; to either die and go to heaven, or to live and burn in hell for lying. So many of the innocents would not confess, for fear of abandoning their friends, like when John Procter was forced to sign a confession "Beguile me not! I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence!" The way the law was set up, forcing the innocent to hang and those that sinned to go on living, was injustice, all of which was caused by Abigail Williams and her sport.